NPA warns AFP vs rescuing 4 abducted soldiers in Mindanao

Even as it assured the safety their captives, the New People's Army warned the Armed Forces of the Philippines against rescuing four soldiers they seized in Mindanao last May 12. NPA Crucifino Uballas Command spokesman Anvil Guinto said rescue operations and offensives would only prolong the custody of the four soldiers. "The rescue operations-cum-offensive military operations of the 10th Infantry Division-Eastern Mindanao Command-AFP to retrieve the detained AFP and paramilitary personnel will only achieve two things: First, it will only prolong the on-going investigation and custodial detention of (the four soldiers)," he said in a statement on the Communist Party of the Philippines website. Second, it said, more civilians would become victims of human rights violations in villages where offensive combat operations are launched. Last May 12, the NPA abducted AFP Corporals Marcial Bawagan, Ariel Asumo and Eduardo Alcala, and Civilian Auxiliary Army (CAA) member Victor Pitogo. Guinto said the four are presently under investigation for charges including "active counter-revolutionary acts" and "violations of human rights." He said the arrest stemmed from an order of the so-called revolutionary People's Court. "[We assure their families] they are safe and well. Their rights are respected under the protocols of war and international humanitarian laws, and the inherent rules of discipline strictly adhered to by the NPA," Guinto said. — LBG, GMANews.TV